Friday, September 6, 2013

Dexys "One Day I’m Going To Soar"

Kevin Rowland's still doin' it here



Dexys' "One Day I’m Going To Soar" will be released on September 3, 2013. It is quite a comeback for Kevin Rowland, who really never left. The Irish bad boy has mellowed a bit from the guy who once stole the tapes of his own record from EMI and held them for ransom until his band got some more money.

"I did loads of stupid things, like the way I used to argue with EMI Records. I just look back to the time now and wonder how I would have reacted to some prick coming into my office shouting and kicking things," Rowland said in 1970.

Kevin Antony Rowland (born August 17, 1953) is an English singer-songwriter and frontman for Dexys Midnight Runners (currently called Dexys), but the real crux of it is Kevin is Irish, and that is what he is still kicking about on this new one. With the poetry and pride of hindsight.

My favorite Dexys Midnight Runners lp was "Searching for the Young Soul Rebels," the debut studio album by the band, released on July 11, 1980, through EMI Records. It made the "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" chart.

Their signature look for their early recordings, consisting of donkey jackets and woolly hats, was inspired by New York dockworkers they saw in the film "On The Waterfront."

Dexys Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen (Official Music Video)
youtu.be/rVxcwe7EcaY




"Come On Eileen" was a single released by Dexys Midnight Runners, which appeared on the band's 1982 album "Too-Rye-Ay." The song was written by Kevin Rowland, "Big" Jim Paterson and Billy Adams; it was produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley. The bridge is based on the Irish folk melody "Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral."

The music video to accompany the single was directed by the great Julien Temple. It features members of the band wearing sleeveless shirts and dungarees. The "Eileen" as featured in the video (and on the record sleeve) is Máire Fahey, sister of Siobhan Fahey, former singer with Bananarama and Shakespear's Sister. The American singer Johnnie Ray, an early rock-and-roll crooner mentioned in the opening lyrics, is also featured in the video using old film footage.

And that is a testament to the literary (Brendan Behan's ""Borstal Boy," for example) and cultural signposts that are referenced by this lot.

I'm dancing now.